The government of the neighboring country has prepared a draft decree “On Amendments to the Decree of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine from December 31, 2025 № 1795”, according to which the import of wine products from Moldova will be subject to licensing until the cessation of discriminatory actions against Ukraine.
Fresh grapes, wines, ethyl alcohol and distillates fall under the restrictions, rbc.ua wrote.
The explanatory note to the document, which was at the disposal of the rbc.ua news and analysis website, states that the reason for the ban on the import of all Moldovan wine products to Ukraine is the order of the National Agency for Food Safety of Moldova (ANSA) No 48 of 26 January this year and the submission by this agency to the WTO of a notification with incorrect information (No G/SPS/N/MDA/33).
In particular, this refers to the ANSA’s decision to ban the import of Ukrainian chicken and chicken products to Moldova after the detection of the antibiotic metronidazole in poultry feed sent to Moldova from Ukraine.
Earlier this month, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Taras Kachka sent an official letter to Moldovan Agriculture Minister Ludmila Catlabuga.
In it, he announced the Ukrainian government’s intention to block all imports of Moldovan wine products as a mirror response for the ban on imports of all Ukrainian chicken and chicken products to Moldova.
What the draft resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine is about
The explanatory note to the draft decree “On Amendments to the Decree of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine No. 1795 of December 31, 2025” states that the purpose of the document is to apply retaliatory measures to discriminatory and/or unfriendly actions of the Republic of Moldova.
The Decision of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine dd. 31.12.2025 No. 1795 “On approval of the lists of goods, export and import of which are subject to licensing and quotas for 2026” approved the lists of goods, export and import of which are subject to licensing and the amount of quotas for 2026.
“By order No. 48 of 26.01.2026 of the National Agency for Food Safety of the Republic of Moldova (ANSA), the import of poultry meat, poultry by-products and products containing poultry meat from Ukraine to the territory of the Republic of Moldova has been temporarily suspended,” the document says.
“In addition, ANSA submitted a notification to the WTO (No. G/SPS/N/MDA/33 of 26.01.2026), where incorrect information was provided on the reasons for the suspension of poultry meat imports from Ukraine, which creates risks of further imposition of unjustified restrictions on Ukrainian products of the agri-food sector by other countries. At the same time, the information referred to the results of research on feed of Ukrainian origin used for feeding poultry in Moldova and the results of two serum samples taken on a farm from poultry of Moldovan origin (Criuleni, Republic of Moldova). There is no evidence that poultry meat, poultry by-products and products containing poultry meat originating in Ukraine contained residues of metronidazole,” the authors write.
The explanatory note also notes that according to Article 2 of the WTO Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures, “Members shall ensure that their sanitary and phytosanitary measures do not create arbitrary or unjustifiable discrimination between Members in whose territories identical or similar conditions exist, in particular between their Members”.
In addition, “sanitary and phytosanitary measures should not be applied in a manner that constitutes a disguised restriction on international trade”.
In view of the above, the Government proposes to introduce a licensing regime for import to Ukraine from the Republic of Moldova of certain goods classified under the codes according to the UKT FEA: 0806 (grapes), 2204 (wines), 2207, 2208 (ethyl alcohol).
Ukraine claims that this is an adequate step
A representative of the Ukrainian negotiating group in talks with Moldova said that “the Ukrainian government’s draft resolution on the introduction of licensing of imports of Moldovan wines and alcohol is a forced, but absolutely adequate step”.
“We have been trying for weeks to resolve issues within the working groups. But we received from ANSA outright sabotage and an attempt to humiliate our state bodies. Ukraine will not tolerate such an attitude. If the ANSA leadership believes that it can block Ukrainian exports with impunity on the basis of incorrect data in the WTO, they should be ready to explain to their winemakers why the Ukrainian market is closed to them,” the Ukrainian official said.
